Location: Brazil, Argentina, on the Iguazu River
Height: 82 m
Width: 2700 m
Coordinates: 25 ° 41'33.1 "S 54 ° 26'21.2" W
Content:
Short description
On the border of Argentina and Brazil, at the confluence of the Iguazu and Parana rivers, mighty streams of water rush down from a height of 70 meters, forming 275 cascades, separated by rocky islets overgrown with jungle.
Bird's eye view of Iguazu Falls
Of the total width of the waterfall of 2,700 meters, only 600 meters belong to the Brazilian side, the rest of it is in Argentina. “Our Niagara, in comparison with Iguazu, looks like a stream of water flowing from a tap,” said Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the 32nd US President, so unpatriotically, when she saw the “South American miracle” for the first time.
Really, Iguazu is 20 meters taller and twice as wide as the famous Niagara Falls... The Swiss botanist Robert Chauda, who visited Iguazu, described this magnificent sight as follows: "Before your eyes, the ocean falls into the abyss, inspiring awe."
The Iguazu River originates on the slopes of the Serra do Mar ridge, and, moving with incredible power through 1200 km of tropical forests, reaches the edge of the Parana plateau, from where it crashes into a narrow 80-meter gorge with a terrible roar. It is the largest of the Iguazu Falls. Because of the thunderous noise produced by the water, the Indians call it the "Devil's Throat". According to legend, Iguazu is the creation of the forest deity Mboya. The brave warrior Karoba kidnapped his bride from the deity, fleeing with her in a canoe. In anger, Mboi collapsed the bottom of the river, creating huge steps with water falling down. The boat in which the fugitives were sailing fell into the Devil's Throat.
In 2007, the priest Nelio Sander proposed to rename the "Devil's Throat", turning the waterfall into the "Voice of God". However, the idea did not receive support in scientific circles, since in this case it would be necessary to abandon the beautiful legend. The name of the Iguazu River is also of Indian origin and translates as "great waters".
It is quite justified: every second the river passes through its "throat" 1,700 cubic meters of water, and in floods - even 7,000. The volume of falling water is enough to fill three Olympic pools in one second. Once every 40 years, droughts are so severe that Iguazu dries up completely, exposing a basalt scarp.
The first European to see the Iguazu Falls is the Spanish conquistador Cavez de Vaca Alvaro Nunez... In 1541, his expedition searched for the legendary country of El Dorado, but the miracle of nature discovered by travelers is no less valuable than gold. For five centuries now, Iguazu has been of great interest to tourists. Bridges overhang the rocky islets of the gorge, allowing you to get as close as possible to the waterfalls and find yourself in the center of the "Devil's Throat". The "air" excursion gives the opportunity to enjoy the views of the waterfall from a bird's-eye view: it seems that the earth seems to go down into a bottomless abyss, forming steps from which water rushes down.
Rafting down the river on inflatable boats with oars or walking in the trees will give you a lot of impressions. Platforms are set up between the tops of sturdy eucalyptus trees. Moving along tree trunks with the help of ropes, cables or without them at all, you can feel like a wild cat living in the jungle. The forests of the Iguazu National Park are home to many butterflies and birds. High in the branches, toucans nest, notable for their brightly colored, disproportionately large beak. There is also a wine-breasted Amazon - a parrot, so named because of its color. But the most memorable animal here is the coati (nosed raccoons).
They are not at all afraid of people and willingly allow themselves to treat themselves to cookies or fruits, snatching food right from their hands. Unfortunately, the Iguazu National Park is closed at night, but three times a month tourists have the unique opportunity to take a night cruise along the river, seeing the waterfalls in the light of the full moon.
